


The Assassin's Secret

by Little_Red



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Assassination Attempt(s), Because of Reasons, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Gun Violence, Heartbreak, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Lies, Modern Middle Earth, More tags to be added, Nature, Romance, Slow Burn, Violence, fake death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-18
Updated: 2016-07-01
Packaged: 2018-06-09 05:16:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6891697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Red/pseuds/Little_Red
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bard met the perfect woman, it's just too bad that she's trying to kill him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> No real prompt (that I can remember or find) but I wanted a AU where the assassin falls in love with the person that they were paid to kill. It’s not a reader insert because I felt that an OFC would be best for this story-line.

“Bard Bowman” The Master seethed, “The man is out to ruin me!”  He glared down at the magazine article in front of him:

_When Bard Bowman moved back to the struggling Laketown Port after the death of his wife, he brought his successful shipping company with it, a shipping company that was able to employ a majority of the unemployed town. And with the sudden increase in jobs, the port town started to thrive again. New businesses  sprung up and the nearly bankrupt town made great leaps towards the beautiful tourist attraction that it had once been. Locals call him a hero and are urging him to run for mayor._

The Master threw his glass against the wall in a fit of rage.

With the town on its way back up to being respectable, it became harder and harder for him to manufacture and smuggle the drugs out of Laketown. And that meant that The Master was not only losing money, but the life style that he had become accustomed too.

“There’s only one thing to do then” The Master mused to himself, “Bard has to die.”

It was simply the only solution he decided.  And since he couldn’t get his hands dirty, he quietly contacted some of his connections that he had made in his line of business. And soon he was given a name. An assassin who could slip in and out unnoticed.  An assassin who specialized in making their kills look like tragic accidents. The Silent Shadow.

The Master smiled smugly when he got confirmation that Bard would soon be dealt with.  

****

**Bard’s POV**

I thought back over my life as I slowly started to wake up:

My dad had started Bowman Shipping when he moved our small family out of Laketown, to the industrious city of Rivendell, and he did quite well for himself. I took over when I was twenty-one and newly married, and I used the very generous inheritance that my grandfather had left me  to buy a small cargo plane and a small cargo ship.  I used those to offer nationwide shipping,  even though my dad thought I was insane. But my idea worked, and within two years I had a small fleet of ships and a few planes, and within ten years I was shipping worldwide, with warehouses all over the world.

It was around that time that my wife passed suddenly after being hit by a drunk driver. I had been devastated after losing her and when a fire destroyed Bowman Headquarters a year later, I made the bold move to relocate Bowman Headquarters to Laketown Port, my childhood home.  It wasn’t an easy transition at first, I had to build the headquarters, a loading dock in the harbor and I had to find an airport nearby. All in a place that was practically a ghost town. But I pressed on, hiring locals and soon the town started showing signs of life again. Within three years the town was almost back to the beautiful tourist attraction that I remembered from my childhood.

The town was finally starting to flourish and people were telling me that I should run for mayor. The thought had never really occurred to me before and I wondered if I could actually do it. Could a widow such as myself really run for mayor, run my company and raise my kids? I thought that I possibly could. I knew the current mayor was not happy about the talks about me possibly running for mayor, but I paid it no mind, since I hadn’t decided if I was going to run or not.

_“None of that explained how I  got here_ ” I thought to myself as I fought the desire to close my eyes again as the memories came flooding back:

There was still something missing from my life and I never knew what until I met her. Tawny Moore,  a smart, beautiful nature guide, whom I met after she gave a nature talk at the Tilda’s school. Tilda was fascinated by the talk and wanted to join some of the local nature programs that the town offered. So I took her to sign up for some of the nature classes and that’s where I met Tawny…. and the large corn snake that she was holding at the time.

I made a complete fool of myself in my attempt to distance myself from the snake, then  watched in disbelief as Tilda walked right up and asked if she could pet the snake.  The next time I saw Tawny, she was teaching Tilda archery. The third time I saw her, she was playing tag with the kids, and somehow managed to tag me as it, which I happily accepted just so I could chase her. Once I finally managed to catch her (which took longer than I care to admit) I asked her out.

We had been dating for three months, and in that time she had pulled Bain away from his videos games, and taught him how to cook. She had taught Tilda how to fish and how to silently stalk an animal (and had her practice those skills on me and Bain). And she had taught Sigrid self defense and had even got her out fishing a few times. She even managed to talk me into holding the corn snake that she adored! I thought that she was a saint. She was tiny, maybe 5'3, with a slight frame, golden brown hair, large expressive dark brown eyes, tanned skin and freckles. She had a smile that could light up the room. She was the natural, outdoorsy type, the girl next door.  She loved coffee and star gazing, lazy Sunday mornings and she was wonderful with my kids. She was my second chance at love.

And yet here she is, pointing a gun at me as I am tied to a chair, bleeding from a blow to a head.  

_TBC_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bard demands some explanations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not an expert on assassination or drugs, let along drug running. I am only going off what I see in movies or read in books. I am trying to make this a believable as I can, but it is a STORY! So please just go with it! And enjoy :)

**Bard's POV**

"Tawny?" I rasped out, trying to ignore the throbbing in my head, "What's going on? What are you doing? Where am I? Where are my kids?" I was sitting in what looked like a log cabin, tied to a chair. There was a was a table to my right and a kitchen to my left.

Tawny sighed before lowering the gun, "Your kids are safe, they are with your parents for the weekend, remember?"  she reminded me quietly, before pulling a chair over in front of me and sitting in it, the gun resting on her lap.

"So you decided to kidnap me instead? Dammit Tawny is this your idea of  fun???" I  growled, as I struggled to get free.

"My name is not Tawny" she replied, leaning back in her chair, and crossing her arms.

I froze at her words, looking at her warily. "What do you mean that your name is not Tawny?" I hissed, struggling to get free.

"My name is Ruth. Ruth Carver, but you can call me Ruthie. And I am an assassin. I was hired by The Master to kill you." Tawny...no Ruthie... whoever the hell she was announced calmly.

I gaped at her in shock, "The MASTER????" I sputtered "As in The Mayor???? The Mayor of Laketown Port hired you to KILL me???? WHY?"

"Yes Bard, The Mayor." Tawny/Ruth replied "The Mayor hired me to kill you. Because he makes and sells cocaine, and he was doing quite well for himself, that's why the town was dying but he was prospering. The you came along, and helped pull the town out of the dumps."

"No... there's no way that's true" I said uncertainly, "There's no way that any of this is true!"

"Ha!" Tawny/Ruth scoffed "I can tell by the look on your face that you have your doubts!"

"No..no" I shook my head stubbornly, "There has to be another explanation for all of this." Tawny/Ruth gave me a searching look before sighing.

"Look Bard, look beyond what you saw when you moved to Laketown." she started "Just think: The Master had the nicest house, the nicest things. And Alfrid and the rest of The Master's minions were rather well off.  While the rest of the town suffered."

I looked carefully at her as I thought back to when I first moved to Laketown, I had noticed that The Master and the people close to him were the only ones who were doing well for themselves in the town. "That explains why The Master was opposed to so many things, like cleaning up the harbor and renovating some of those old buildings. Stuff like that" I said slowly, as I came to realize how much I had missed seeing.

"Exactly" Tawny/Ruth crowed "And you moving Bowman headquarters here, and opening up warehouses, an airport and making the harbor usable all hindered his drug business."

"I mean" she went on "People were not starving anymore, or desperate to make a dime while doing 'errands' for The Master. And with the town booming again, with all the jobs that you provided and people moving back.... It just became harder and harder for him to operate his business. Plus the talks that you should be the new mayor don't help. As the mayor, he uses town funds and resources to his advantage. If you became mayor, he could lose everything."

"Great." I muttered "So because I helped out a struggling town and provided jobs, I have to die. Because the townsfolk think that I should be mayor, I have to die. And to make matters worse, the woman that I love is going to kill me, because she was paid to do it."

I glared at her, "So get it over with already, kill me!" I yelled, my eyes tearing up as I thought of my kids, and how they would never know what happened.

"BARD!" Tawny.... no not Tawny... Ruth snapped "Will you shut up??? I am not going to kill you!!!" She jumped away from her chair, the gun harmlessly clattering to the floor.

I jumped when the gun fell, glancing down at it before looking up at her in silence, breathing hard.

"This is a double cross. I will not, I cannot kill you because I love you too!!" she yelled, glaring right back at me, breathing hard.

"What?" I asked in disbelief, relief flooding through me, but it was short lived.

"I am not going to kill you Bard." Ruth explained quietly, "But I did fake your death."

"WHAT??????" I yelled, struggling to get free as rage coursed through me "What did you do?"

"I had to!!! The Master had to believe that it was done!!!" Ruth yelled back "He will get lazy soon, he will think that he is untouchable, and that's how I will get him.  That's how I will stop him!!! But for now, people have to think that you are dead."

I stilled my movements, as the pounding in my head made my vision swim. I closed my eyes, taking several calming breathes "But won't it make you look suspicious? If I am a supposedly dead, and you suddenly go MIA?" I grit out, opening my eyes to look up at her.

"Damn." Ruth muttered "You might have hit your head harder than I thought." She bit her lip as she regarded me thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" I croaked out, in desperate need of a drink. Ruth hummed and walked into the kitchen, opening up the fridge and pulling out a bottle of water. I tensed as she came up behind me, setting the water bottle beside me, before kneeling down to release my binds.

"I left 3 days ago to go on my much talked about hiking trip, remember?" she reminded me as she tugged on the ropes  "I had already took the time off and planned for it? And you said that I should go. I am supposed to be gone for at least 2 weeks, no one will ever suspect that I had anything to do with your demise."

A wave of dread washed over me as I came to an realization. "You planned this." I accused, "You planned this all along."

Ruth paused, her hands stilling on the ropes. "Yes" she admitted quietly "I did. The plan was to always leave on my trip, lay low until I had a chance to kill you, then pretend to have a tragic hiking accident, so I could quietly disappear without suspicion."

"Who are you?" I hissed, jerking away as soon as the ropes went slack. "What kind of person plans such an elaborate ruse?"

I jumped up from the chair, pushing it back into her, before reaching down to scoop up the gun. I pointed it at her as she slowly stood up, raising her hands as she waited for me to make a move. My vision was swimming again and I was struggling to remain standing.

"Bard" Ruth said cautiously, "I think you should sit down, the tranquilizers that I hit you with are still in your system, which is why you are so woozy."

"What do you mean hit me with?" I cried, as I swayed on my feet. I shook my head to clear my vision a bit.

"I shot you with a tranquilizer gun" Ruth replied, looking extremely sheepish, "but when you fell, you hit your head, which worked out very well for me, because it looks like you hit your head, fell into the lake and drowned."

"Wh...wha...what?" I sputtered in disbelief "But my kids.... there is no body, so everyone will know that it was faked."

Ruth took a step forward, stopping when I cocked the gun. "Bard.... Your kids went to your parents for the weekend, and you were planning on spending all weekend working in the office." She said softly. "You even text me saying as much. it's going to look like you slipped and fell after working too many late nights in a row. And they will search the lake for your body, but it will be concluded that your body was swept out to sea."

She looked me dead in the eye. "I'm very good at what I do Bard. I specialize in making my kills look like accidents."

At her words, my fingers unconsciously tightened on the trigger, and I fired the gun.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bard discovers more about his situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pics are not mine! They are just to give a description of what I imagined!! 1.) Bard looking around in front of the cottage. 2.) The full view of the hideout 3.) The cottage. I sometimes refer to the cottage as a cabin, but that’s just because it sounds better while writing the sentence. They are basically the same. Cabin: a small shelter or house, made of wood and situated in a wild or remote area.synonyms:cottage, log cabin, shack, chantey, hut; chalet; cabana; historical caboose"a cabin by the lake" Cottage: a small simple house, typically one near a lake or beach.a dwelling forming part of a farm establishment, used by a worker.“farm cottages"synonyms:cabin, lodge. 
> 
> So I just write what works at the time, just go with it! I just wanted to clear this up in case anyone complains. 
> 
> ****I'M SORRY BUT I ALREADY WROTE AND PUT CHAPTERS 3 and 4 UP ON TUMBLR!!! I FORGOT TO ADD THEM ON HERE!!!! I'M SORRY!!!!!****
> 
> You can follow me on Tumblr if you want, at little-red-83.

**Bard’s POV**

I jumped when the gun clicked loudly in the silent cabin. Gasping, I dropped the gun in shock. "Oh my god!! I’m sorry Tawny!!! I never meant to shoot you!” I yelled, looking up from the gun into Tawny’s amused face. I was confused as my eyes scanned her tiny form for injuries, but her faded jeans and blue flannel shirt were both free of blood.

Tawny brushed past me to pick up the discarded gun. “Ruthie. My name is Ruthie, and the gun was never loaded, it was just for show. I never planned on killing you.” Ruthie explained, before looking at me again. “And I know that you didn’t pull the trigger on purpose. You’ve had a big shock today, a nasty bump on the head and still have some heavy duty tranquilizers in your system. You will be lucky if you remember any of this whole conversation.”

I tried to answer her, but couldn’t as a dizzy spell suddenly overtook me, causing me to lose my balance. I reached out blindly for something to hang on to, and felt an arm wrap around my waist as Ruthie quickly came to help steady me. I tensed up as I felt her touch me, the rage and betrayal still fresh, but I still leaned into her as she walked me over to a bed that was set against the far wall of the cabin, across from the front door. She helped me sit down on the edge of the bed, then pushed on my shoulder firmly until I stretched out on the bed, before leaning over and covering me with a patchwork quilt.

“Rest” she said as she straightened up, “Don’t sleep, just rest, this will soon pass.”

“You mean that I will wake up and this all will be a horrible dream, and that I won’t have been betrayed by the woman I love?” I snipped as I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the hurt that I knew would be shining in her eyes.

Tawny…  I mean Ruthie didn’t say anything, all I could hear was her walking away and a door closing.

*********

**Ruth’s POV**

I left Bard on the bed and went into the tiny bathroom, closing the door and leaning against it for a moment, as I tried to get my thoughts together. I could see my reflection in the small battered mirror above the sink, and I stepped towards it as I gathered my hair up into a messy bun.

“Ruth” I whispered to my reflection, “I’m Ruth now…. again.”

It was weird to be Ruth, I was so used to being ‘Tawny’. But I am Tawny, that’s the worst part. The woman that Bard met, the one that he fell in love with, was me. Only that it wasn’t my real name or job.

And I honestly didn’t blame him if he never forgave me.

I heard the front door slam, and groaned, knowing that Bard was making a run for it. I wasn’t looking forward to dragging him back into the cabin. It was hard enough getting him into the cottage by myself with him unconscious, it would be near impossible with him awake and kicking.

“I don’t blame him from running, or attempting to run” I muttered to myself as I left the bathroom, heading for the front door. I discarded the unloaded gun on the bed as I passed by, before grabbing the shotgun from under it. The gun wasn’t to use on Bard, it was in case we ran into a bear or some other predator, we were in the woods after all. As I slipped on my hiking boots, I scowled when I saw that Bard didn’t even stop to put his boots on.

“Bloody idiot.” I mumbled to myself as I opened the door. I saw Bard as soon as I stepped out of the cottage, he was standing in front of it, staring up in amazement. It was quite the view, I loved it. Silently walking up to stand beside him, I followed his gaze as he took it all in.

I had planned my hideout carefully, we were hidden in a remote sinkhole that had formed centuries ago; on family owned private property, which helped ensure our privacy. The sinkhole walls jutted up hundreds of feet above our heads in an almost perfect circle. The terrain was rocky and uneven; with lush vegetation and trees growing all over, none which came even close to reaching the rim of the sinkhole. There was no visible way out and there was no damned way that I was showing him the secret entrance. Not yet at least.

“What is this place?” Bard breathed in awe, as he slowly turned around in a circle, stopping when he saw the cottage. “I had no idea it looked like that….” he muttered to himself.

I turned and looked at the small but well built stone cottage. It was set against one of the cliff walls, sheltered by a rock lip that jutted out above the cottage and was made out of the same stones that littered the ground. It was roughly 500 sq ft, with the kitchen area and main room comprising the majority of the building. There was a sleeping loft above the main rooms, which housed three beds and offered no privacy. It was a old trappers cabin, with no electricity, but at least it had some modest indoor plumbing. Moss grew thick on it, causing it to blend in seamlessly with the rest of the surroundings.  

“It’s a wonder, isn’t it?” I remarked, smiling fondly “You can’t even really see the cabin from the above, it just all blends together so no one can find you, it’s perfect when you want some solitude.”

Bard finally tore his gaze away from the view in front of him and looked at me, but upon seeing the gun, he took off running, shoe-less, throughout the dense vegetation. “Bard!! Wait!!” I called out “You can’t get out of here, but wild animals, like mountain lions, can get in!!!”

“And you are bleeding, so you would smell pretty appetizing to them!” I added loudly.

I heard Bard slow down, then swear colorfully and loudly. “Let me guess, you stepped on something?” I inquired as I pushed my way past a few trees until I came upon Bard, who leaning against a tree, rubbing his foot and glaring me.

“Where are we?” he hissed, “You can’t just keep me prisoner!!!”

I stepped towards him, my heart breaking at the way he flinched as I drew closer. “You are not a prisoner, but I can’t let you go.” I soothed, as I came to stand in front of him.

“But you are in danger” I added  "And I want to keep you alive, which is why we are taking this….. vacation… for lack of better term.“

Bard scowled at my words, stopping when a branch snapped. "What was that?” he asked, looking around nervously.

I grabbed his hand and tugged him forward “It sounded too small to be a mountain lion, but I can’t say for sure.” I cautioned “We should get back to the cabin just in case, normally they do not come here, but sometimes they do.”

Bard nodded reluctantly and limped after me, cursing as the twigs and stones poked his feet. I kept pushing him at a steady pace, wanting to get him off of his feet as soon as possible. He was in no shape to be running around the forest barefoot. Especially with a possible predator lurking about. I took a glance over my shoulder as we neared the door, I could see a pair of eyes and pointed ears peeking out of the dense undergrowth.

Lynx. Not exactly dangerous to us but better be safe than sorry. I didn’t say anything to Bard about the lynx as I got him in the house. “Go sit down please” I urged as I shut the door and took off my shoes “And I will get some stuff to clean your feet.”

I crossed the room and got the first aid kit off the top of the pantry, and grabbed a bucket to go fill with water from the taps in the bathroom. The water lines ran to the hot springs that were located close beside the cabin. Another set of lines ran cold water into the rustic kitchen sink, the cabin was old, but had been updated as much as it possibly could be out here. There was some (old) indoor plumbing, it wasn’t an outhouse, but wasn’t something you’d find in the Four Seasons either.

I came out of the bathroom and found Bard sitting back at the table, prodding gingerly at his foot. "Here” I said, pouring water into a shallow basin “Soak your feet in here, and then I will look and see how bad the damage is.”

Bard looked like he wanted to object, but he sighed and obeyed my orders. “How long are you going to keep me here?” he asked softly, looking up at me.

I put the gun back into its case before answering him “Honestly Bard…. I don’t know” I admitted as I turned to look at him. “I need to keep you safe, but I also need to take down the Master.”  Bard looked away, silent. After tossing him a towel that was hanging by the sink, I pulled my chair up next to Bard, waiting as he dried his foot off.

“Maybe it will only be two weeks” I told him, before gesturing to his injured foot. Bard looked torn over what to think as he gingerly placed his foot in my lap.

“So hopefully I will only be your prisoner for two weeks” he muttered as I prodded his foot. It was a shallow cut on his instep, bruising already. It would be tender for a few days.

Releasing his foot I looked Bard dead in the eye “You are not my prisoner. You have free range over the cabin, and the entire surrounding areas.” I stressed, needing to make my point clear. “But you can’t leave. And your foot is fine, just a shallow cut and a bad bruise, so take it easy for a few days.”

I put some antiseptic and bandages on the cut, as Bard silently fumed. I gave him a look, needing him to know that I meant it when I said to take it easy.

“Fine. I will take it easy” Bard growled as he dried off his other foot “But I will find a way out of here!”

“Good luck with that.” I shot back, as I got up off the chair “Let me know how that goes.”

Bard jumped up, glaring at me before limping slowly towards the bathroom, muttering snidely about me the whole time. I smirked and started putting away the first aid supplies.

“Oh and Bard?” I called out to his retreating back  "The next time you decide to run, please stop and put your shoes on!!!“

Bard’s only answer was the slamming of the bathroom door.

*****


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bard explores a bit and talks with Ruthie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I am a horrible person forgot to post the last 2 chapters up on here and only posted them on Tumblr, so I'M SORRY!!!!
> 
> In case it happens again, I'm little-red-83 on Tumblr.
> 
> I spent a long time trying to describe the layout of the cabin perfectly. I hope that I got it right!!!

**Bard’s POV**

I hobbled into the tiny bathroom and slammed the door shut, needing to put some distance between myself and Tawny/Ruthie. She was still so much like Tawny but she seemed sassier now. I leaned against the bathroom door with a weary sigh and looked around the dimly lit bathroom.

The bathroom was an small wood and stone add-on, about 6 x 7 ft. There was an ancient looking blue toilet in the right corner of the bathroom, with a matching floating sink next to it, directly across from the door. Above the sink was a battered medicine cabinet, the chipped mirror on it making me frown in annoyance at my disheveled and bloody appearance. The cut where I had hit my head when I fell had already been cleaned and bandaged,  Ruth’s work obviously. Tearing my gaze away from the mirror, I checked out the rest of the room, the stone floor of the tiny bathroom sloped down to the left, with a small drainage hole in the middle. A blue shower curtain hung on a shower rod, hiding the shower from the rest of the bathroom. A towel rod hung on the wall to the left of the door, and an old, rickety shelf was against the wall to the right of the door. Two lanterns were hanging on either side of the medicine cabinet, and one from middle of the ceiling, casting a light glow into the shower stall.

I jumped at the tentative knock that sounded on the door, stepping away quickly to face the still closed door. “Bard?” Ruthie called out softly “If you want to shower and clean up, there’s towels, soap and razors on the shelf.”

“I don’t have any clean clothes” I snapped back, torn between being seething mad and loving her more for making sure that I stayed alive.

There was a pause before Ruthie answered “I have clothes for you here.” she replied, guilt lacing her voice.

I closed my eyes, “Why am I not surprised?” I muttered quietly, but judging from the big sigh on the other side of the door, Ruthie heard me.

“I will leave them outside the door.” Ruth said softly, before I heard her walking away. I opened my eyes and walked over to the shelf, not surprised to see my favorite brands of razors and toiletries. Scowling, I grabbed what I needed, setting the razor and shaving cream on the sink, depositing the soap and shampoo on the floor outside of the shower before throwing the towel over the rod and undressing.

Pulling open the shower curtain, I saw that it was a small simple shower, made with stones like the rest of the house, and had a regular metal shower head and valve style knobs. I twisted the knobs cautiously, and was surprised at the water pressure. Sighing in contentment, I stepped under the hot stream of water, closing my eyes and letting the hot water wash over me and soothe my weary body.

Once I had washed my hair and body, I got out of the shower, wrapped the towel around my waist, and shaved my face at the sink. After I cleaned up the bathroom, I opened the door to find a pile of clothes sitting outside the door.

Scooping them up quickly, I stepped back inside the bathroom and looked over my options. Ruthie had given me a pair of socks, sweats, a tank top and boxer briefs. Dressing quickly, I hung up the towel and left the bathroom. I stood outside of the bathroom for a moment, debating on running again, but my throbbing foot couldn’t be ignored any longer. Limping over to the table, I sat down and took good look around the cabin.

It was one large room, aside from the add on bathroom, with three doors, the front door, the bathroom door and an unknown door. The ‘kitchen’ area consisted mainly of a huge fireplace, which took  up a large portion of the shorter wall on the right side of the cabin, with pots and pans hanging around the perimeter of it. There was a stack of firewood tucked into the corner, with a cupboard above it and a worn pantry next to it. A vintage, chipped, white porcelain pedestal style sink was next to the unknown door, with a couple of shelves above it, and the vintage fridge on the other side of the door. I noticed that many of the appliances and fixtures were all vintage (around the mid 1930′s era) but from the looks of them, they had been new when installed. And where in surprisingly good condition, considering that we were in a cabin in a hole in the ground.

Which lead to the question…. how did all this get in here? There had to be a secret entrance of some sort. I mulled that thought over as I finished looking around the interior of the cabin. There was the bed she had set me on, and the door across from it, and a low bench under the window, next to the door. There was another, smaller fireplace on the far end of the cabin, next the bed, and there was a ladder near the head of the bed, leading to either storage or a bedroom. The kitchen table was set close in the middle of the large room, helping to break it up into two sections. The bathroom door was on the other side of the ladder, and various shelves were set on free spaces along the walls, full of canned goods, extra lanterns, matches and other camping knickknacks.

The whole cottage was small but surprisingly cozy, there was gingham curtains hanging on the windows; and a bright patchwork quilt was on the bed, and a plaid blanket and throw pillows graced the bench. There was even some books on a mantle over the smaller fireplace. I turned my focus back on Ruth, who smiled at me before returning her focus back to kneading some dough at the end of the table. I watched as she put the dough in greased cast iron pot with a lid, and put it among the coals, raking coals up around the sides and over the top. That’s when I noticed the chicken she had roasting on a spit and the baked potatoes that she had placed among the coals.

Ruthie poked around with the coals for a few minutes before standing up and turning back to face me. “Supper will be ready in about an hour” She told me, “There’s some more books upstairs but there’s no TV or wifi.“

I glared at her "I gathered” I returned dryly, as I got up and limped towards the ladder, before stopping and turning towards the fridge in confusion.

Ruthie followed my gaze “It’s hooked up to a small generator.” she informed me “It’s only used when I stay in the cabin, and since it’s the only thing that uses electricity here, it can run off the generator for a while. I don’t use it much, I prefer to use the storage cellar out back.” She waved towards the unknown door.

I turned away without a word and climbed the ladder, gritting my teeth against the pain in my foot. Once I emerged upstairs, I hit my head on the low roof, grumbling, I straightened out as much as I could before taking a look around. There was 4 beds, one in each corner of the loft, small trunks were at the foot of each bed, and two bookcases jutted out from the walls, sectioning the beds off into little 'rooms’ which only offered the idea of privacy, since you could see over the bookcases and into the other 'room’.

I stood in the middle of the loft, looking at each of the beds, which were all singles, neatly made up with patchwork quilts, and had a log as a bedside table. A lantern sat on each log, and there was one on each bookcase. A large lantern also hung in the center of the room, and was currently the only one lit. I limped towards the bookcases, checking out the selection of books, and wondering where I was supposed to sleep, and why there were so many beds. I was impressed with the array of books that there was, everything from crime thrillers to biographies. I pulled out a Stephen King novel, then limped back to the ladder and slowly climbed back down.

“Sit down somewhere and I will wrap your foot again” Ruthie called out, as she fussed around with the hearth. I sat on down on the bed, stretching out my leg and opening the book, pointedly ignoring Ruthie.

Ruthie came over and sat down next to the bed and started to clean and wrap my foot again. “It looks better already” she commented as she wrapped my foot. I gritted my teeth against the fresh wave of pain and concentrated on the book.

“You can’t ignore me forever.” she said gently, before gathering up the first aid supplies and standing up, “And I really am sorry Bard.” I ignored her as she walked away, watching her out of the corner of my eye as she stirred something in a pot. I focused on the book again and felt a wave of tiredness wash over me. I stifled my yawn and refocused my attention to the book, but gave up after a few minutes and closed my eyes to rest them a bit, only to wake some time later when Ruthie called my name.

Opening my eyes, I saw her standing at the end of the bed. “Supper is ready” she said “Come eat, and then back to bed for you. You are still really out of it.” I scowled at her, not wanting to obey her orders.

Ruth rolled her eyes and walked away, before calling over her shoulder “Oh and there’s also some extra strength aspirin for you on the table.” I scowled again as I swung my legs off the bench and carefully limped over to the table.  I stopped and stared for a moment, amazed at the sight before me, my stomach growling at the delicious smells. There was cold beer, fresh baked bread, a whole roast chicken, baked potatoes with nice crispy skins and even some sort of vegetable hash. And the promised aspirin was sitting next to my plate.

I sat slowly, truly awed that she could come up with all of this even with the rustic, primitive kitchen that the cabin had.

Ruth looked at me curiously as I sat, “You have never really been camping before, have you?” she declared as she loaded her plate up with food.

“Not like this, I haven’t” I replied stiffly “And most certainly never while kidnapped.”

Ruth ignored my jab, but she set her enamel plate down with more force than necessary. I immediately felt bad, but I couldn’t forgive her. I loved her, but I had no idea who she was, not anymore. I quietly filled my plate and started eating, as the awkward silence grew between us, it was never like this before, our conversations had always been filled with warmth and laughter before, and sometimes companionable silence, but never awkwardness. I finally couldn’t stand it any longer and suddenly blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Why a tranquilizer dart?”

Ruthie looked up from her plate, seemingly surprised at my question. “Pardon me?” she responded primly, avoiding my gaze.

“Why the tranquilizer dart?” I repeated “Come on Tawny, just tell me.”

“Ruthie” she replied, finally looking at me, “My name is Ruthie. And seriously Bard, I worked with animals. It wasn’t hard to take a tranquilizer gun from my work truck and use it on you.”

I opened my mouth to speak but Ruthie quickly cut me off  "And no, it can’t be traced back to me. The gun is back in my work truck and there is no missing dart, thanks to me 'accidentally’ packing an extra one a few weeks beforehand. It will just look like a clerical error if someone does figure it out.“

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, as the realization about how well she planned all this dawned on me. "And why was I tied up?” I hissed through my gritted teeth, opening my eyes up to glare at her.

“That was only a precaution.” she stated “I was busy setting us up in the cabin and I didn’t want you to get up and run suddenly, not in the condition you were in…….. but that backfired on me, didn’t it?” she gestured towards my injured foot before taking a sip from her beer.

“What did you expect?” I shot back, scowling down at my food, “I came too, drugged, bleeding and tied to a chair!.”

“I expected you to be smart enough to not take off running through the woods when you could barely stand up!” she snapped back “Especially while barefoot!”

I had no answer for that, so I went back to ignoring her while I finished my meal. Ruthie followed my lead, the silence once again growing between us, slightly less awkward but there was so much left unsaid that it felt like a brewing storm.  Our occasional fights were like flashes of lightning, building up to the deluge that was sure to come.

Once we had finished eating, Ruthie stood up, gathering up the dishes. I got up, wondering if I should help or not. My choice was made when  Ruthie glanced over at me “Go, get some sleep, you really need it.”

I nodded and limped towards the bed. But Ruthie’s voiced stopped me in my tracks.

“Not there Bowman, you sleep upstairs.”

I turned around to look at her incredulously, she couldn’t be serious. “You are going to dictate where I sleep?” I yelled, enraged.

Ruthie slammed the plate she was holding back down onto the table, before stomping over to me. “Yes Bard, I am.” She yelled back “Because I am not going to risk you taking off into the night and have you break your neck or getting eaten by a mountain lion! So get your stubborn ass upstairs and go to sleep! Or else I will drug you up with more tranquilizers!”

Ruth stopped, breathing hard and glaring up at me. Her brown eyes flashed in annoyance and her hair was slipping out of her bun. She was beautiful in the dim lantern light and I was moving before I could even comprehend what I was doing.

I stepped forward, grabbing her face and tilting it upwards, kissing her deeply as I ran my fingers through her hair, freeing it from her messy bun. Ruthie kissed me back, stepping closer to me as she wound her arms around my neck. She reminded me of  summer, with the taste of beer lingering on her lips, and smelling like a sun dappled forest, with hints of wood smoke clinging to her. I savored the feel of her in my arms, so comforting and familiar. That last thought is what drove me back to my senses and I quickly broke the kiss, pushing her away from me as I stepped back from her.

“Goodnight.” I said stiffly, turning away from her, hating to see the hurt that flashed across her face when I pushed her away. I grabbed my book off the bed before awkwardly climbing up the ladder.

“Goodnight” Ruthie replied quietly, obviously subdued as she walked back to the table, “And watch your head!”

Her warning came seconds before I once again hit my head on the ceiling. I heard her stifled chuckle and scowled down at her before pondering which bed I was to use.

“Oh you can sleep in any bed, but your clothes are in the two trunks on the right side of the loft.” Ruthie called up.

“Thank you.” I replied quietly, not sure if she heard me or not. I limped to the closest bed and collapsed on it, quickly crawling under the covers. I was exhausted and desperately needed sleep, so I could have a clear head that would help me to escape in the morning. I didn’t even bother turning the lantern off, I was just too tired and confused. I had kissed my captor, who wasn’t exactly my captor, she was just the woman I loved, who was trying to keep me alive. According to her. 

I closed my eyes, too tired to think about this any longer. As I drifted off to sleep, I tried not to think of how the light in Ruthie’s eyes dimmed when I pushed her away from me.  


End file.
